Residents of Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo, in the southernmost Addu City, have voted to separate from the Addu City Council and form independent island councils, according to interim results from Saturday’s referendum.
Meanwhile, voters in Feydhoo chose to remain under the Addu City Council, with a majority rejecting the proposal to establish a separate council.
The referendum was held to determine whether the existing composition of the Addu City Council should be changed, allowing Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo to form their own councils. It marked the first poll conducted under the newly enacted Public Referendum Act, designed to seek public opinion on major administrative changes.
The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) established a total of 18 polling stations across Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo and Male’. While 9,576 people were eligible to vote, 4,510 cast their ballots.
Eight polling stations were set up in Feydhoo, where provisional results show that the majority of the voters opposed the formation of a separate council.
In Hulhudhoo, six ballot boxes were set up, with a majority voting in favour of forming a separate council. Similarly, a total of four ballot boxes were set up for the people of Meedhoo. Provisional results indicate that a large percentage of voters supported establishing a separate council.
The ECM is expected to announce the official results of the vote on Sunday. If the outcome is upheld, the new councils are likely to be formed ahead of next year's local council elections.
The referendum followed a formal request from the three islands’ residents, urging President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to allow them to withdraw from the main city council. The move prompted a presidential decree under the recently enacted Public Referendum Act, which highlighted that such a significant legal and administrative change could only be enacted with public approval.
The President has publicly committed to respecting the outcome, stating his administration will support any decision made by the people and refrain from taking an official position during the process.
In outlining the potential financial implications of a vote for separation, the President announced that the islands would receive substantial annual block grants - Feydhoo would be allocated USD 3.2 million, Hulhudhoo USD 907,911 and Meedhoo USD 1.2 million.
The vote revisits a long-standing debate over local governance where in a 2010 referendum on maintaining Addu as a single city, the same three islands had voted against the consolidated city model, signaling a historical inclination toward greater autonomy